CHAMPIONS

The Scribes Women’s Rugby Team hoisted the Ged Griffiths Cup on Saturday thanks to an inspired effort against Capilano RFC.

Scribes were able to out-duel Capilano by a score of 29-19 in the BC Rugby Women’s Division 2 Final and claim the team’s first-ever championship.

Highlights

Scribes and Capilano kicked off BC Rugby club championship day in Abbotsford under perfect conditions and with a large number of supporters on the sidelines cheering on both teams.

Scribes got off to an ideal start just five minutes in as Whitney Paronish took the ball wide with pace and found space along the touchline. The Caps defense were unable to match the speed of the Scribes Women’s all-time try scoring leader, as she splashed down to open the Scribes account.

Capilano hit back moments later, however, with some nice build up play inside the 22. One of the Capilano backs spotted the gap in the Scribes defense and raced in under the sticks to put Caps in the ascendancy.

The following few minutes were the only ones where Scribes trailed in the championship match. Following a brilliant effort in the breakdown by Cat Power, Scribes were able to steal possession and quickly shift play through the hands of Didi Dufresne, Reba Rowe and over to Paronish. The speedster spotted a half gap and charged through to mark her second try of the game and re-establish the lead for Scribes.

At half-time the score was Scribes 12-7 Caps.

A pivotal moment in the game occurred a couple minutes into the second half. With Capilano shifting defenders to protect against the threat of another inside run, Scribes were able to swing the ball wide to winger Emer Casey, who rapidly accelerated beyond the grasp of the nearest Capilano players for a long range try.

Paronish then extended the Scribes lead to 22-7, thanks to a run that was essentially a mirror image of the game’s opening score.

Caps would fight back, again, with strong forward play in the buildup leading to a converted try. They threatened once more just minutes later, but after several phases under the uprights, Caps were pushed into the corner before crossing into in-goal.

The outcome of the game truly turned in the seconds that followed. With the score 22-19, Capilano failed to convert their try. Upon the restart, a Capilano forward took the ball cleanly but was absolutely leveled by an outstanding open field tackle from the Scribes Jen Ding. The play resulted in a penalty against Capilano, and Scribes used the resulting kick, lineout and set play to get the ball wide to Emer Casey. A high tackle against her as she crossed the try line meant a penalty try and an automatic conversion were awarded.

That brought the Scribes lead to 29-19 with under 10 minutes to play. Wave after wave of Capilano attacks were turned away in the final moments, and when what looked to be a sure try for Capilano was spoiled by a knock-on, referee Brett Hay blew the final whistle and the celebration was on for Scribes.

“We’ve never beaten Capilano before, so this was an incredible way to get our first victory,” said Scribes Captain, Cat Power. “We dug deep, decided ‘this is our day’ and stuck to that. Scribes’ Women’s team program is so young compared to more established teams, so to achieve something like this means everything to the whole club.”

The championship victory was a fitting conclusion for a team that had been building in confidence and ability all season. It was also a truly special afternoon for the veterans who helped to launch the Scribes Women’s program in 2015.

The club will continue celebrating the victory at the Scribes banquet on May 26th.
Save the date. Additional details to come.

The Scribes Rugby Football Club would like to congratulate all the players on the Women’s Team on an amazing season, and would like to commend the contributions both on the field and off the field that were made in order to reach this goal. From hauling kit bags to the cleaners, to moving gear back and forth to storage, to enduring tough training sessions in the rain, everyone of you put in the effort and those efforts have paid off.

Also, a big congratulations has to go to the coaching staff, volunteers and former players who have built this team from the ground-up over the course of the last four seasons.